• July 19, 2018
  • Press Release
  • 3-1-3, Uchihiranomachi, Chuo-ku
    Osaka, 540-0037, Japan
    Capcom Co., Ltd.
    Haruhiro Tsujimoto, President and COO
    (Code No. 9697 First Section of Tokyo Stock Exchange)

Capcom Wins Judgement to Uphold Patent in
Lawsuit to Rescind Decision for its Patent #3295771

Capcom Co., Ltd. (Capcom) today announced that the Intellectual Property High Court dismissed a lawsuit to rescind a decision, which was filed against Capcom by Koei Tecmo Games Co., Ltd. (Koei Tecmo), securing a judgement in favor of Capcom.

The lawsuit to rescind a decision was filed by Koei Tecmo in the Intellectual Property High Court on September 21, 2017 in parallel to Capcom’s patent infringement case against Koei Tecmo. The suit followed a decision by the Japan Patent Office to uphold Capcom’s patent #3295771 (the Patent) on August 17, 2017, a decision that stemmed from an appeal to invalidate a patent, in which Koei Tecmo sought a revocation of the Patent on April 1, 2016.

Today, the Intellectual Property High Court handed down its decision to dismiss the claim made by the plaintiff (Koei Tecmo). The Patent relates to informing the player of a game of "information that cannot be perceived visually (such as the presence of an enemy character behind the player)" by vibrating the controller when it is judged that the situation in the game meets certain conditions. Capcom believes that with this decision, the Intellectual Property High Court has demonstrated sound judgement, and further, following its recent decision to uphold Capcom’s patent #3350773 in a lawsuit to rescind a decision, has also recognized the validity of the Patent.

Capcom is committed to improving customer experiences and expanding the game industry by promoting the effective use of its patents through methods such as licensing, while safeguarding the inventions associated with each of its titles.